Disappearing shield for rumble seats and tonneaux



July 21, 1936. CONDON 2,047,941

DISAPPEARING SHIELD FOR RUMBLE SEATS AND TONNEAUX Filed June 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EDWARD T. Coupon ATTORNEY July 21, 1936. E CONDON 2,047,941

DISAPPEARING SHIELD FOR RUMBLE SEATS AND TONNEAUX Filed June 29, 1934 I I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I G 5 INVENTOR.

EDWARD T. CONDON ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1936 PATENT OFFICE QQ-ADISAPPEARING SHIELD FOR RUMBLE p scars AND TONNEAUX Edward'l. Condon, New York, N. Y. Application June 29, 1934 Serial No. 733,019 5 Claims. (01. 29685) 7 The invention relates to Windshields for use with boats and automobiles, for example, in connection with the rear seat or the rumble seat of 4 the latter.

It has for an object the provision of means whereby such shield maybe 50 mounted with respect to the seat well as to be capable of folding completely together and out of, the way therein, and being also frictionally held at all times to prevent unintentional movement thereof.

Another object of the invention resides in the I provision of means for thus mounting the shield and whereby its manipulation may be readily and quickly accomplished, so that the shield may be caused to disappear below the level of the'well when not required and to be brought above the level of the well and located in any desired angular position.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a mounting element for the shield which will admit of readily supporting a curtain or apron, as for protection against the elements, as well as serving as a hand rail or a robe rail.

Incarrying out the invention, there is combined with the seat well of an automobile, as, for example, a rumble seat well, supporting'brackets for the shield, said brackets being rigidly secured at the forward portion of the well and carrying a rod which extends transversely of said well across its front. Upon this rod swing clamping elements constituted as terminals of a pair 'of arms carrying'the shield; and means are provided in connection with said clampingelements to close the latter about the rod for retaining the shield in any desired angular position thereon. Further means are, also provided to cause the clamping elements to maintain a predetermined degree of friction upon said rod but permitting angular movement of the shield upon applying suitable pressure, the degree of friction being such as normally to prevent dropping of the shield but yet not sufiicient to prevent its ready manipulation to the desired position. i

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection'with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the rumble seat of an automobile equipped with the disappearing windshield.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the shield folded down upon the seat. r Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 but illustrating the shield completely folded under the wall of the seat well to allow freedom of movement for the occupants of the seat.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating one manner of securing the supporting brackets to the wall of the seat well, and illustrates also, in detail, the clamping arrangement. V

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of a modified form of shield arm with clamp.

Referring to the drawings, more particularly Fig. 1 thereof which shows the rumble seat por tion of an automobile, l designates the well thereof surrounded by the body portion 1 l, and I2 designates the seat. It is understood, of course, that while the invention is herein shown and described as applied to the rumble seat portion of an automobile, it is equally applicable to the tonneau portion as a protection of the occupants of the rear seat thereof. 7

The windshield mounting constituting the present invention is designed for installing a windshield member l at the upper forward portion of the well It, as indicated; and, if desired,

angularly, adjustable wings l6 hingedto its'opposite sides.

The invention is concerned, however, more especially with means for attaching the shield I 5 to the body portion II in such a manner that i when not desired for use, it may be caused to disappear below the upper edge of the well and be stowed away within the forward portion thereof or merely caused to rest upon the seat l2.

To this end, a pair of attaching brackets 20 is secured to the underside of the well edge at the forward corners 2! thereof; and these brackets are designed to support rigidly a rod 22 located transversely of said well across its front and slightly below the edge, the brackets and rod being located entirely within the well.

Upon this rod and. within the brackets is imounted a pair of shield supporting arms 23 terminating to this end in clamp elements 24 embracing the rod. It is preferred, also, to joint tinued directly to the shield frame 25 and rigidly associated therewith. V

A convenient means for attaching the brackets 20 to a comer of the well body II is indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, use being made of the gutter or trough 30, usually associated with the the shield may be equipped with a pair of t e the bottom thereof is an angle piece 32 substan- I vtially of the dimensions of the angularl-y disposed arms 31 which-are intended tofbejuxtapos'ed to the said angle piece immediately beneath the bottom of the gutter, both the said arms and angle piece being perforated toreceive bglts ,3 for securing the brackets to'the gutter fnem er; By this expedient, a rigid attachment of the bracket is conveniently and rapidly ,secured; lat:

the desired forward cornerstof the welL and wi no modification of the automobile structure lb re uired other than the drilling o the lffl l if'tj mg q well and comprismg a pair of brackets rigidly secured to the front wall portion thereof, a rod supported iby"thebrackets'transyersely of said site openingsin the gutter bottom to pass jthe 1 j 'lhedetails of theclamping -'element 24 of an arm 23' and as associated with the supporting rod '22 are more clearly indicated in Fig 4'. 'Ihus, ,an auxiliary clamping screw 35" operatesto draw the two halves of thefclamp together about the .rod Hand is setto secure the required permaheht friction for. maintaining the arm withshi id Tn ormally infany angular position onthe rod'so that it may not jdrop accidentally upon releasing the other and clamping screw 3,6'which is; proyic ledfwith the winged head 3'! for manipulation.

-It1will. be understood thatfthe friction secured by the screw 35 issuch as to belreadily'overcome by a, slight pressure exerted upon the shield '0 arm; and that when the desired location of the shield isv secured, the clamping fscrew iifi'will be drawn up tightly to lock for the, timebeing the 7 said shieldin adjusted position on thero'dhfl, as indicated. When the shield j is not, required {and it is desired to stow same aw y; -the well l0, clamping screw 36 is. manipulated through its head 31 to release the frictionfhold of the, clamp and the shield then drawn: manual- 1y into the well.

trate ists the It will be understood; in

,. embodiment indicated in n'ig.. 5 wherein. thef arm .and shield are directly connected, that the shield Whenthus drawn into the well-will not be capable of occupying a position parallel to and upon the seatl2, as indicated in Fig. 2, nor, generally, of being folded backwardly underneath the wall of'the well in av substantially'vertical position, i as indicatedin Fig. 3, unless thecushion of the seat befirst raised. ,To this end, the joints 26 are preferably introduced in the connectionbetween the shield and the clamp so that by manipulating the wi ngeidwhead 2! thereof,;thel-j oints. 'may be loosened and the shield l5 permitted to assume the horizontal position for lying directly upon, the seat 1 I2; or when it is desired to occupy the seat- -with the-shield stowed away; to en- ,ablelsaid shield t be swung still-furthenback V into-the-well and caused-to assume a substantially vertical position-behindthe rod-22,-as indi- :When the shield-is :in such position, as well as when in the operative position, Fig. 1, rod' 22 may ,serveasa'hand or robe rail'as well as providing means to which there maybe attached'a curtain 1 or'apron f-notshown) for protection against, the

. elementsras is 'isf; 1

'wellunderstood: Iclaimt i f to retain rigidly the-latter to "supported byjthe brackets 'transyerselyof said well across its front, "a pair of shi'eld ca'rrying me'nts fitting about the rod;

"its "edge; of an adjustable The combination with .az'seatwell of the' natul'e set forth; 0': an adjustableshield member for occupants of the well, and means to mount the shield at the upper forward portion of said well and comprising a pair of brackets rigidly secured to the front wall portion thereof, a continuous strut rod fixedat its opposite ends in the respective brackets, the rod extending thereberespective clamping elements fitting about the rod, a joint element introduced. in each of the said arms, means to lock the joint elements, and meansto close the clamping elements about said rod to retain the shield in any desired angular position" thereon.

, ,2. ='I"he cpmbinati0n with a seat well of the nature set forth; of an adjustable shield memb'er'for occupants of the well, and means to mount the shield at the upper forward portion of said lweliiacro'ssits front, a pair of shield-carrying 7 arms terminating in respective clamping elements tting about the rod, means to clc ise-partly thev clamps about said rod to maintain a permanent and'pre'determined degree of friction between i the same and the saidclamps 'peri'nitting angular extent' to'lock the shield'in any 'desired angular 9 position thereon.

3.:The' combination with a, seatwen bi the Q of an adjustable shieldmem- 3 nature set forth; her for occupants of the well, and means to mount the shield at the upper for'wardpdrtion of said well and comprising a pair of" brackets rigidly well across its front, a pair of shield-carrying fitting; about "the rod, a: joint element introduced ineach ofthe ,said'armameans to lock the joint feIements-means'to close partly the clamps about said rod' to maintain a'permanentlan' d predeteri'n'ined-degreeof friction between the same and the said clamps permitting 7 angular jmovement of the-shield upon the supporting rod, and addi- -"tional and adjustable means for closingthe clamping element about' said "rod to an extent to lock theshleldin'any desired angular'posi- 4. The combination with a seat well of the nagutterp' a pair 'of'brackets located beneath the gutter in juxtaposition to the plates, securing the well wall, a rod arms terminating in respective clamping eleand means to close secured to thef'ront 'wall portion thereof, a rod supported" b ythe' bracketstransversely of said t ari'njs'terminating in respective clamping elements --means'passing through the plates and brackets the clamping elements} aboutsaid rod'to retain V shield at .the .upper forward portion of saidwell and comprising a'pair of'angle pieces seated 'in 7 the shield in any desired'angular position thereon.

no r

the respective front corners of the gutter, a pair of brackets having angularly disposed arms located beneath the gutter and juxtaposed to the respective angle pieces, securing means passing through the angle Pieces and bracket arms to retain rigidly the brackets to the well wall, a rod supported by the brackets transversely of said well across its front, a pair of shield-carrying arms terminating in respective clamping elements fitting about the rod, and means to close the clamping elements about said rod to retain the shield in any desired angular position thereon.

EDWARD '1. CONDON. 

